Cable Tricep Kickback

What you'll gain

• Isolates the triceps at peak contraction with constant cable tension.

• Lets you train one arm at a time when a side lags.

• Fits a standard cable tower, so it belongs in cable arm collections.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. 1

   Clip a single handle to a low or mid pulley and stand facing the stack.

2. 2

   Hinge the hips, plant the feet, and rest the free hand on the thigh.

3. 3

   Bring the working upper arm beside the torso so it is roughly parallel to the floor, elbow bent about 90 degrees.

4. 4

   Keep that elbow still and extend the forearm backward until the arm is straight.

5. 5

   Squeeze the triceps at lockout without swinging the shoulder.

6. 6

   Bend the elbow under control to return, then repeat and switch arms.

Common Mistakes

• Dropping the working elbow, which shortens the range and turns the lift into a curl.

• Swinging the whole arm from the shoulder instead of isolating the elbow.

• Standing too upright so the cable no longer lines up with the forearm.

• Using so much load that the torso has to heave each rep.

About This Exercise

The cable tricep kickback isolates the triceps by extending the elbow while the upper arm stays pinned beside a hinged torso. It is a beginner isolation cable lift with the triceps as the target and no secondary muscles: low pulley, overhand handle, torso about parallel to the floor, elbow high and still, then the forearm extends. Kickback-error notes make the same mechanical point: the upper arm has to stay high and near horizontal or the effective range collapses. The approved frame is a single-arm kickback facing a cable tower, working elbow bent about 90 degrees at the start, triceps highlighted on the working arm only. For a catalog it is the cable version of a dumbbell kickback, sitting next to pushdowns and overhead extensions.

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